YMMV at Future Shop: Scribblenauts Street Date Broken

I got burnt far too many times buying niche games new and at launch only to have them drop in price months later; I'll sit this one out, with my existing library, for the time being.
 
[quote name='poiuiu']I got burnt far too many times buying niche games new and at launch only to have them drop in price months later; I'll sit this one out, with my existing library, for the time being.[/QUOTE]Indeed. Like 2 weeks later after I bought MadWorld and No More Heroes the price went down to $30.
 
There's a difference between Wii games that were destined to bomb sales-wise and a DS game that's probably going to sell 1 million+.

There's also a difference between a $59.99 game and $34.99 game =P
 
[quote name='Pat_McCrotch']Indeed. Like 2 weeks later after I bought MadWorld and No More Heroes the price went down to $30.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Firestorm']There's a difference between Wii games that were destined to bomb sales-wise and a DS game that's probably going to sell 1 million+.

There's also a difference between a $59.99 game and $34.99 game =P[/QUOTE]

I think he's thinking more like:

NEW PRICE as opposed to NEW, LOWER PRICE 'CAUSE SALES BOMBED.

Moron kids at my work would much rather buy Phineas and Ferb or those bullshit Pokemon-clones than an actual, real game. All preorders are with adults sadly :(.
 
Price protection is 30 days!

I wouldn't compare Scribblenauts to NMH and Madworld. Scribblenauts is an E-rated title that appeals to all gamers, plus it's being released on the DS.
 
[quote name='Firestorm']There's a difference between Wii games that were destined to bomb sales-wise and a DS game that's probably going to sell 1 million+.
[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Lone_Prodigy']
I wouldn't compare Scribblenauts to NMH and Madworld. Scribblenauts is an E-rated title that appeals to all gamers, plus it's being released on the DS.[/QUOTE]

Tell that to this game:
HenryHatsworth.jpg



And no, neither of 5th Cell's games went platinum; it won't be any different with this one. If anything, it may end up like their last game Locke's Quest
dropping ten to fifteen bucks a few months later
.
 
Christ I guess I'm waiting on this one :D. I'd rather save the $15 bucks... or is this sort of mentality exactly what's hurting the devs?

Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun.

I actually bought Henry Hatsworth for full price, fucking thing went down to $20.
 
Uh, Drawn to Life has hit over 1 million copies. So yes, one of their games did go platinum =P Drawn to Life Spongebob Squarepants Edition is almost just at the million sold mark but that's not by them. Personally, I think Scribblenauts will hit that too eventually. Once it hits the $19.99 mark, it's the type of game parents will be picking up for their kids like Drawn to Life.

Anyway, this is my most anticipated game for the year now that Bioshock 2 is 2010 so I'm going to be getting my hands on this asap.
 
I'd hardly count platinum sales due to price drops or clearances to be 'proper' platinum sales, but whatever floats your boat. I still doubt Scribblenauts will be a platinum seller in any shape or form.
 
[quote name='poiuiu']I'd hardly count platinum sales due to price drops or clearances to be 'proper' platinum sales, but whatever floats your boat. I still doubt Scribblenauts will be a platinum seller in any shape or form.[/QUOTE]


It's getting a lot of coverage from all the major gaming sites. I think it'll do pretty well.
 
[quote name='djsaiyan']It's getting a lot of coverage from all the major gaming sites. I think it'll do pretty well.[/QUOTE]
I'm not sure if lots of coverage from the major gaming sites is enough to get the masses to get this game. Parents are probably just going to walk in to stores to look for popular stuff like Pokemon like Kathos has mentioned. Although I was convinced to get this after seeing the videos for it.

Got my preorder at EB for the hat, but that's a backup plan now pending on if Goomba is able to get a copy at TRU in the states as it is selling for $30 and includes a $15 GC on release day. Crossing my fingers.
 
[quote name='djsaiyan']It's getting a lot of coverage from all the major gaming sites. I think it'll do pretty well.[/QUOTE]

This. It won a lot of awards/nominations at E3 for Best in Show. I'd never heard of Henry Hatsworth until it was released. If Fossil Fighters can chart at #10 on NPD I expect Scribblenauts to do well. :)
 
I think Scribblenauts will do very well, it's got a lot of marketing money behind it and support from all major retailers and websites. Plus it's directed at all ages and launches on the system with the largest install base and at a good price point.

Still, even if against all odds it does bomb in sales, Scribblenauts is certainly worth the extra $15 to have it a couple months early. They did great work with this game so they deserve my support.
 
[quote name='poiuiu']I'd hardly count platinum sales due to price drops or clearances to be 'proper' platinum sales, but whatever floats your boat. I still doubt Scribblenauts will be a platinum seller in any shape or form.[/QUOTE]Then very few games have hit platinum. Drawn to Life had one price drop to $19.99 and that's about it. It started at $29.99. I don't see how a $10 price drop disqualifies the fact that it sold over 1 million copies and that the spin-off has also sold 1 million copies. Even Locke's Quest has sold a respective 300,000 or so.

Also, they need a friggin' Nintendo Store in Vancouver >=( Early Launch at NWS in New York today:
11w4y2c.jpg

P9130524.jpg
P9130534.jpg
 
It's hard to say how successful Scribblenauts will be. It's a new property, so the chances are not good for it :( despite how innovative it may be.

If it had "Mario", "Guitar Hero/Rockband" or "Halo" in the name, then it would be a different story.

I'm also wondering if it would be worth waiting for it to drop in price... but Drawn to Life never really dropped in price much, so.....

I'm hoping for at least a Future Shop sale or something.
 
[quote name='Firestorm']
Also, they need a friggin' Nintendo Store in Vancouver
[/QUOTE]

Umm, don't they have a Nintendo store in Vancouver? Well, it's probably not a "Nintendo Store" but more like a factory outlet type of place? I know that they sell accessories/game manuals & stuff like that, that's where I got some of that stuff mailed to me from.... but I've never actually been inside.... I see it when I'm heading to the ferry, it's out by Richmond or something?


Ever been inside?
 
Ya its by Holdom SKYTRAIN Station...really cool inside..

White design with blue glowing lights...anyone can go for a visit.
 
[quote name='djsaiyan']It's getting a lot of coverage from all the major gaming sites. I think it'll do pretty well.[/QUOTE]

Game coverage doesn't mean much unless it involves a marketing push consisting of millions of dollars and prime time tv exposure. Really, E3 means jack to people outside of the internets.

[quote name='Lone_Prodigy']This. It won a lot of awards/nominations at E3 for Best in Show. I'd never heard of Henry Hatsworth until it was released. If Fossil Fighters can chart at #10 on NPD I expect Scribblenauts to do well. :)[/QUOTE]

A little game called Okami got pretty much unanimous critical praise
which still escapes me how even today
, but the game's developers folded. Awards from paid fanboys mean jack.

And Fossil Fighters is a Nintendo (partial-)devved and published game; if a turd like Magical Starsign can sell decently because of that stamp, so can Fossil Fighters. >:p

[quote name='Firestorm']Then very few games have hit platinum. [/QUOTE]
Sadly, that is ultimately the case, especially for the niche games that only manages to sell better than well.

Drawn to Life had one price drop to $19.99 and that's about it. It started at $29.99. I don't see how a $10 price drop disqualifies the fact that it sold over 1 million copies and that the spin-off has also sold 1 million copies.
Click to expand...
Two things:

1. That's only the one official and documented price drop; I'm pretty sure there were a few if not many individual price slashes done to get rid of stock (like the Blockbuster clearance we had a ways back where Drawn to Life was sold for 7 bucks, as an example).

2. Just how much of a price slash can a game receive before one considers said game to not be a success (actual numbers withstanding). After all, I doubt anyone would say a game was a success if it sold a million because it drops to a buck (from its original 35).


I would love for games, especially the niche ones, to sell well (and am willing to summon a flock of crows just to eat them), but this one I'm pretty pessimistic on.
 
[quote name='poiuiu']
A little game called Okami got pretty much unanimous critical praise
which still escapes me how even today
, but the game's developers folded. Awards from paid fanboys mean jack. [/QUOTE]

Yeah...every reviewer who loved the game was paid off. :roll:

First of all, Okami was awesome. Second, the developer did not just fold. Clover merged with other guys and became Platinum Games. Okami's sales didn't even really have that much to do with it. Plus, Okami is getting a sequel, so obviously it wasn't as big a commercial failure as originally thought.

If price drops and sales don't "count" as proper sales, I'm interested in whether Batman Arkham Asylum is a success or a failure. It sold very well, but was also nearly 50% discounted for the first full week. So is it good that it sold well, or bad because it was a sale price?

As far as I'm concerned a price drop doesn't mean anything with regards to sales. Very few games retain their full retail price everywhere for more than a couple months, and most of those are your CoDs/Halos/Sims and whatnot. So is every other game not a success? As long as the game makes any kind of profit it doesn't matter what it's selling at, so a platinum seller is a platinum seller.
 
The only people who know whether it's a success or not is the people that paid to make it - if I make a game that sells for $39 and I net ~$20 and sell 40 million copies, I'd take that anyday over your game that makes $5 selling for $69 that only sells 20 million copies. Not saying those are realistic at all, but this is all relative.
 
I also see this game dropping a few months after release. I just bought Prof. Layton and the Diabolical Box... As well if you're looking for a game that is guaranteed to hold its value, buy the new Mario + Luigi that comes out Monday, as it is definitely not dropping anytime soon.
 
[quote name='Mattius_Carl'] First of all, Okami was awesome. Second, the developer did not just fold. Clover merged with other guys and became Platinum Games. Okami's sales didn't even really have that much to do with it. Plus, Okami is getting a sequel, so obviously it wasn't as big a commercial failure as originally thought.[/QUOTE]Actually Clover did shut down. The key figures of Clover then founded Platinum Games.

[quote name='poiuiu'] 2. Just how much of a price slash can a game receive before one considers said game to not be a success (actual numbers withstanding). After all, I doubt anyone would say a game was a success if it sold a million because it drops to a buck (from its original 35).

I would love for games, especially the niche ones, to sell well (and am willing to summon a flock of crows just to eat them), but this one I'm pretty pessimistic on.[/QUOTE]I guess enough that the developer tells us "Drawn to Life sold so well it funded Scribblenauts" =P Not to mention there are two sequels coming out. The development budget of Drawn to Life and Scribblenauts are not the same as Uncharted 2 or Halo ODST. It honestly could have sold 100,000 and made them a profit. Same goes for Locke's Quest and Scribblenauts. Instead, the first two of those games sold way more and Scribblenauts is on its way to sell more than Locke's Quest and hopefully more than Drawn to Life as well.

That said, it's also perspective. To you, this is another niche DS game like an Atlus title. To me, this is my most anticipated title of the year, much like Smash Bros Brawl was mine last year or Uncharted 2 and Modern Warfare 2 are for people this year. There's no way in hell I'm not getting this Day 1. I can't wait for a price drop. I've already waited long enough!

Also, couldn't care less about Mario & Luigi 3 =P
 
Sell through to customers doesn't affect the bottom line of the publisher directly: they sold it at full price to the store already.

For a game to sell more than is shipped, it needs to sell that shipment quick enough for the store to order more, so it does matter in the long run, but in terms of actual revenue for the publisher and developer, it's just down to wholesale price * number of copies at that price. If the store then decides to drop them from an airplane into a volcano it doesn't change the number sold.
 
[quote name='Mattius_Carl']Yeah...every reviewer who loved the game was paid off. :roll:[/QUOTE]
I'm referring to gaming journalists. Salary =/ paid off, try to stay with the game here
and I thought I had a reading comprehension problem
.

If price drops and sales don't "count" as proper sales, I'm interested in whether Batman Arkham Asylum is a success or a failure. It sold very well, but was also nearly 50% discounted for the first full week. So is it good that it sold well, or bad because it was a sale price?
Click to expand...
Batman is quite the spectacular case actually; last I heard, the game sold over a million. If the game was to sell another million (possible due to word of mouth about the game's quality) and at full price (since the Walmart sale/pricing error ended a while ago), then that means 1: quality does sell and 2: well, games are too expensive nowadays. However, this may only be the case for CND since I don't know if this price drop and mass attempt to follow suit by every other store happened in the south.

As long as the game makes any kind of profit it doesn't matter what it's selling at, so a platinum seller is a platinum seller.
Click to expand...
As I said before, can a game you're pretty much giving away selling platinum can be considered platinum if you originally planned on selling it for full or near full price? With the subject of actual profit in mind, well we can't really say much about it until someone releases numbers to us. But with the interest of fairness in mind, this could also mean that a static msrp for all games on the same platform is an archaic practice and games really should be charged according to its budget and development size.

[quote name='Placebo']I also see this game dropping a few months after release. I just bought Prof. Layton and the Diabolical Box... As well if you're looking for a game that is guaranteed to hold its value, buy the new Mario + Luigi that comes out Monday, as it is definitely not dropping anytime soon.[/QUOTE]

Nintendo are also jerks for 1: never dropping the price of their games, 2: never continuing their budget gamin line, 3: never releasing enough games even tho they have a catalogue of even english games from the EU.

[quote name='Firestorm']Actually Clover did shut down. The key figures of Clover then founded Platinum Games.[/QUOTE]
They were actually SEEDS first before they mysteriously changed their name to Platinum.
And speaking of Platinum games, I have no faith in their next game selling well at. all.

I guess enough that the developer tells us "Drawn to Life sold so well it funded Scribblenauts" =P Not to mention there are two sequels coming out.
These are likely T*HQ moves after, what I assume to be, a successful Spongebob version of the game since the Wii one is not being done by 5th Cell. However, more releases of games people want is never a bad thing, despite rumblings of T*HQ being on rocky ground recently after they lost almost all of their bread and butter, ie games based on existing licenses (Disney, Nick, WWE?, etc).

The development budget of Drawn to Life and Scribblenauts are not the same as Uncharted 2 or Halo ODST. etc
Click to expand...
As said before, until numbers are released, we can only make assumptions based on what the developers do next.

That said, it's also perspective. To you, this is another niche DS game like an Atlus title.
If this was another niche Atlus title, I would be buying it at launch (irregardless with the intent to play) cause they only print so many copies and their games are usually only found in EBs or Amazon. Well, except for the crappy releases they do to pander to the seedy side of their fanbase; those can rot for all I care.

However, while I hate to bring up the buying populous (since they ARE the reason why games end up selling well or not) but I wouldn't hold out too much faith in them buying the game, tho I do hope this has the semi-expected legs as some quality DS releases have.

Also, couldn't care less about Mario & Luigi 3 =P
Click to expand...
Now see, now you're just part of the problem here. :mad:

[quote name='webrunner']Sell through to customers doesn't affect the bottom line of the publisher directly: they sold it at full price to the store already. etc ...
Click to expand...
Yeah, but fire sales of unsold stock never leads to new shipments for games, which is something publishers and gamers would want for their fav games. And due to the inclusion of the middleman, ie retailers, you'll have to satisfy their needs as well
(but then again with DD, this sort of bypasses that problem but introduces new ones)
.
However, as I said before, I am willing to accept the argument of budget and profit, but that's something not acquired by the typical fan
nerd
found on the internets.

Finally, I for one wouldn't want to have games end up in a fate worse than E.T. That's just plain cruel. :/
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
[quote name='poiuiu']
Yeah, but fire sales of unsold stock never leads to new shipments for games, which is something publishers and gamers would want for their fav games. And due to the inclusion of the middleman, ie retailers, you'll have to satisfy their needs as well
(but then again with DD, this sort of bypasses that problem but introduces new ones)
.
However, as I said before, I am willing to accept the argument of budget and profit, but that's something not acquired by the typical fan
nerd
found on the internets.

Finally, I for one wouldn't want to have games end up in a fate worse than E.T. That's just plain cruel. :/[/quote]

True, but the point I"m making is that a copy sold at clearance and a copy sold at full price would net the same profit to the developers, and therefore still 'counts' towards selling 'platinum', and usually infact has already counted towards selling platinum because it usually is referring to sell to stores and not sell through to customers.
 
[quote name='webrunner']True, but the point I"m making is that a copy sold at clearance and a copy sold at full price would net the same profit to the developers, and therefore still 'counts' towards selling 'platinum', and usually infact has already counted towards selling platinum because it usually is referring to sell to stores and not sell through to customers.[/QUOTE]

I know and see your point, but I was referring to something a little bit beyond the immediate terms, which matters a bit more (imo anyways :p ).
 
Most stores around Toronto have been reporting they have stock since the weekend, but no one to my knowledge (Futureshop, HMV, Best Buy..) has broken streetdate. I've not had time to check at Game Centre.
 
[quote name='poiuiu'] I'm referring to gaming journalists. Salary =/ paid off, try to stay with the game here
and I thought I had a reading comprehension problem
.[/QUOTE]

Sorry, I'll fix it. "Yeah...every reviewer who loved the game was a fanboy." :roll:

[quote name='poiuiu'] As I said before, can a game you're pretty much giving away selling platinum can be considered platinum if you originally planned on selling it for full or near full price? With the subject of actual profit in mind, well we can't really say much about it until someone releases numbers to us. But with the interest of fairness in mind, this could also mean that a static msrp for all games on the same platform is an archaic practice and games really should be charged according to its budget and development size.[/QUOTE]


I think you're right in that we don't have the numbers to fully analyze. But think about it...how many games NEED to sell at full price to make a profit? Probably not many. Publishers put games out at $69.99 to see how many early adopters they can get and how many copies they can sell at that price point. Maybe they only need to sell each copy for $20 to make a profit (as long as they sell ENOUGH copies, obviously) but they sell it for $60/$70 because they can. Then a price drop down to $40, then $30, then finally $20 is not a bad thing at all. That's normal with most products, they drop in price the longer they've been out. That doesn't mean they aren't selling and retailers are just trying to get them all out the door, it could mean that the money has already been made and now there's no reason to continue selling them at full price when you can still make a profit by dropping it and getting more people into the action. Games should definitely be sold according to budget and development size but as long as people keep buying them at full price there's not really a need to lower that starting price now is there?

Of course this is all speculation.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top